Poignant Couplet
by Erisis
Summary: The night you appeared on my windowsill is the night I started to decay. For Mukuro you stay behind, because she is where you want to be. What rots in me, Hiei, is that you never gave me the chance.
1. After that

**Poignant Couplet**

"Yusuke!"

I stand there with the rest as she scopes her hands threw the water towards you, a smile on my face, forcing my eyes not to wander. She has changed so much since you left, Yusuke. I'm sure you noticed her hair, her conservative dress-no longer the high school sweetheart whom you left behind, with her pigtails and pleated skirt. Watching you, I wonder if it has registered in your mind, how much of her life you have missed. She walked down the aisle alone, on graduation day. She spent that night with your mother, instead of celebrating with friends. She where's her heart not on her sleeve, but in her eyes, and each time I saw her I noticed her heartache grow.

There was a reason though, for her waiting, a light which kept her afloat. Many times you traveled between the worlds to visit her. Because you are afflicted, by that poignant thing called love.

I wonder, are _you_ in vexation, too?

My lips twitch.

Yes, Hiei has been bitten by the bug.

It was just a year ago, that you arrived, hopping onto my windowsill as you have always done; not an inkling of thought given to the two years that had passed between our last meeting. A flower you needed, something for Mukuro. Did you think I over looked the sentimentally of such an act? I am old Hiei; well over a thousand years and counting. I did not fish out an answer from you then because I knew, I _knew_ what the flower was for. Any worthwhile demon can dig up the date of Mukuro's birthday. How much easier for I, who made a legend of myself by breaking seal's, forging codes.

Or have you forgotten?

Another year has passed, since our last encounter.

Or perhaps, two…

One as old as I am stops their counting, when it becomes unnecessary and I have no use for counting the days. It only makes your absence harder to bare.

There is an angel's laughter at my side and I glance to the right. Yukina is running into the sea, Botan at her heals, her hair darkened with water and heavy, falling around her face in damp curls.

I could kill her Hiei.

From here, I would only need a fraction of my power, summon the simplest of plants from ningenkai for its purpose-and send her head rolling, as you watch with the jagan. What is more, there is not a force that could stop me. Kuwabara himself now acknowledges his worthlessness as a fighter, and Yusuke…there are some fights that cannot be won with brash actions and brute strength alone. You, Hiei.

Not even you could run fast enough to stop me.

You would come then, wouldn't you?

You come for her, or to place some lost human back onto the soil of ningenkai, but not once do you spare a moment for me.

I sigh.

It is only Shizuru and I on the beach now, watching the others at play. I feel her skepticism as she looks at me, I must be the mirror image of romantic-gloom. "Hey Kurama," she begins, the sand shifting under her feet as she nears me "something, wrong?"

"Just fatigue, Shizuru-san. A lot has changed, these last few years. With the tournament at its end, I can finally live a normal life here with mother. It's quite the change for me."

"So you're telling me you're decompressing-"

"Correct."

"-and that this has _nothing_ to do with Hiei? Or the lack there of?"

I raise my eyebrows and widen my eyes, with a subtle tilt of the head, I am the picture of clueless naivety. I have many masks Hiei, and where them all quite well. "You say it like I never see him, Shizuru." I lie with just the same skill. "On the contrary, I see Hiei frequently. As frequently as a demon of his rank can spare, that is. True, we do not spend as much time with one another as in past, but we worked together, then. We are living separate lives now."

You with Mukuro, I, Shiori.

I was not so plagued by you Hiei, until we last met. Until then, I came to the conclusion that neither of us was capable of being the 'follower'.

As for me, I chose to stay here in ningenkai until the end of my human life.

Mother would be beside herself with grief, should I leave, and this place is as much a home to me as makai. I have spent over a thousand years roaming the realm of demons and devils, Hiei. For me, to spend eighty years among humans is a break of routine, a chance to see the world from their outlook, to furnish my knowledge after all these centuries.

In my mind, you had chosen makai because it was where your heart belonged, the home you were accustomed to. To stay in the ningenkai, for you, would be like putting a dragon in a canary cage.

You proved me wrong.

The night you appeared on my windowsill is the night I started to decay. With that single act, you proved to me that you are capable of something more than loyalty. You are capable of compassion, and what's more, your capable of _following_.

For Mukuro you stay behind, not because the makai is a comfort zone for you, but because _she_ is where you want to be. I recognize your connection with her. You both reside in a world built on distrust and abandonment. You started life with the same eyes, and forged your strength with broken bones.

What rots in me, Hiei, is that you never gave me the chance.

I doge questions of the past just as you do, but I will not grant you that excuse. Mukuro is the same way is she not? If you truly wanted to know, nothing would stop you from digging up my skeletons from their graves. You always get what you want Hiei.

If I had told you of Kuronue, would things have changed?

If I told you of our passion to incline your jealousy, or of his skewered corpse, haunting me on cold nights, would it have mattered? Or would you rather hear of Yomi, or Karasu and his lust of me? I have kept secrets from you Hiei, even regarding that which you think you know.

Your answer is clear; indifference.

It peels at me every day.

The sun sets behind the still sea. It's clam here in ningenkai, a gentle breeze is blowing which smells of salt and sand. My eyes ascend, not a cloud in the sky, a flock of seagulls are flying beyond the horizon. It's clam here in ningenkai, but a storm is approaching.

It must be raining in makai.


	2. Lunch with Yusuke

_Author's Note_: Sooo, my first story is up and running. Last chapter was a prologue, though I failed to mention it, my bad. This story is mainly based on the manga, though I would be lying if I said the anime didn't influence it at some level (namely the crapy ending). I was inspired by the AMV by **Arigatominna, **_If you still believe_, as well as the Kurama image opening for the show. Lastly, but certainly the most important, a HUGE thank you to **Chaseha-Wing**, **demonic blood shed666**, **ladyasile **and **KyoHana **for their reviews.

To **KyoHana**: Thank you so _very_ much for your kind words and critique. I took your suggestion to heart, and am giving a lot more attention to my future updates. Reviews are what keep me writing, even if they criticize (constructively), so please keep them coming. It only takes a moment of your time!

_/dances melancholy Kurama plushie in front of you/ _You know you want to glomp him. So now that I'm done begging-on with the story.

This chapter sets the stage for the plot of this story, so there isn't much action. It might be good for a laugh at the end though, at least I think so xD Enjoy!

**Chapter One**:

**Lunch with Yusuke **

"Damn, my feet are killing me." Yusuke grumbles as he collapses into the booth, body sprawled out and arms over the back, like a restless cat. I take the seat across from him, slipping off my coat as the waitress places our menu's on the table, quickly fixing my eyes on the laminated words.

It has been another month now. The trials of wedding planning force me to count. With the makai bujutsukai resolved, Yusuke and Keiko have set the date, five months from now, on the seventh of January. Unsurprisingly, Kuwabara is to be his best man, but I seem to be entrusted with the duties typical of that roll. I don't mind; it keeps me busy, and I owe it to Yusuke to help where I can.

"I thought weddings were supposed to be happy, joyful and all that shit, not stress_ful._"

"That is the ideal picture of it, anyway." I murmur, my eyes scanning the menu blindly. I lack an appetite these days, but do not mistake this for a suicidal mind. Ending my life thru malnutrition would be among other things, shameful. The simplicity of it is that depression has taken my taste buds hostage.

"We should just elope and be done with it."

"You will be glad you went through all the effort when it's over." I assure, laughing lightly, my eyes closing in happy crescents. Yusuke grumbles a reluctant agreement before placing his order with our exceptionally peppy waitress. I, too, name my order and she animatedly skips away, leaving me to mourn silently the loss of my menu. I have nothing to look down at now, and am forced to affix my gaze on Yusuke, whose eyes I have felt on me ever since we stopped at this dinner, waiting for me with their skeptical glaze.

"So how's Hiei?"

My lips part, but there is a stall before I reply, my voice inexplicably deciding to stick to my throat "Good, I presume." I pause, the waitress returning, and wrap my hands around the mug of coffee placed before me, letting it warm my skin. "Granted, it has been some time since our last visit, but I am certain he is doing well. Makai is where he is most at home, after all."

"Shizuru seems to think you two meet up pretty frequently,"

"As frequently as our schedules allow-"

"-which is funny, because Hiei seemed pretty damn confused as to how that was possible, since he hasn't set a foot out of makai in over a year."

My fingers twitch around the mug, lips frozen around an excuse I fumble to create, reflected to me by the murky liquid in my cup. I take in a silent breath, and close my eyes, conforming my lips to a solemn smile. "Just what are you driving at, Yusuke?" Wounds cannot heal when picked at.

I hear him shift in his seat, the plastic of the booths cushion scraping his jeans. For all his immaturity and brash impatience, I found long ago that Yusuke Urameshi is decidedly sharp. I wish, in situations like these, he had not such a keen eye. Masks are useless when your companion can see thru the mold.

"Come on Kurama, you know I'm not that dense. If you miss him so much, why don't you just go see him? With the barrier stretched, it shouldn't be a problem, even for someone as strong as Youko to get through."

"The barrier is not the problem, Yusuke." Even if the seal was still intact, preventing the higher class demons from seeping through, I would have found away. "I know very well that I can visit him in makai."

"Then go! What's stopping you?"

He sounds agitated, confused, but I will not open eyes to see the distress on his face. Yusuke has become a good friend to me; he knows my masks well, just as Kuronue had. At times, it disarms me, but I have lingered to long with love unrequited to be swayed. "My life is here now Yusuke. I have no intention to return to makai for a long while. Besides," I lower my eyes, the tenor of my voice going with it, watching as the images in my mind appear in the ceramic lined waters in the oval of my hand "Hiei, clearly made his choice."

I raise the mug to my mouth, and just as the steam tickles my lips, laughter pricks boorishly at my ears. I part my eyes in a glare as Yusuke tries to hold back his cries, only making the next burst loader, and by the time our food is delivered, there are tears building at the corners of his eyes. Somewhere in the mix of his laughter and cackling breaths, I gather the words "can't" "believe" and "Mukuro". It is the last word that urges me to grab my coat and move to my feet.

"-Wait! Wait, Kurama, I'm _sorry_-just-sit down man, let me explain."

My eyes are on his hand, which in the course of his choked speech, latched onto my arm-and reluctantly, I sit. Yusuke release me, gnashing his teeth, and my eyes narrow to slits.

"I'm sorry I laughed at you, but…you're crazy!"

Ah, yes, I am seeing the humor clearly now.

Yusuke rolls his eyes, and leans closer, his elbows on the table on either side of his plate "The fact is Mukuro doesn't hold a _candle _to you. It's just so damn funny that you're so jealous of a woman with half a face!"

"Hiei isn't strung along by vanity." I protest, with a bit more venom than intended "Regardless of her appearance," and besides the mutilation, I will admit Mukuro to be a rather striking woman "it is her connection with Hiei which keeps him at her side."

"Bullshit."

Yusuke's eyes are so intense, I find myself looking at empty booth at our right instead of their mahogany glow, the sure conviction in them amplified by his words making my stomach knot. How can he have such faith…

"You can't tell me that you and Hiei don't have that same connection. I've seen it; you'd have to be blind or stupid not to notice."

"I can say the same for Mukuro."

"Will you stop with that for a moment? Remember when you fought three rounds against the shinobi? Hiei was so angry watching you get smacked about, he broke thru a supposedly _indestructible_ barrier to get to your side! Shit, I fucking **died** in front of him and he didn't get that upset."

My cheeks flush. I would like to blame it on the cold, but the dinner is well heated and coffee to warm me, besides. During that fight, I had felt Hiei's youki foaming like bubbling magma. I blacked out just as it was to explode. Such memories are hopes I had been tied to in Hiei's absence, but with his last visit, the strings were cut. Still, Yusuke persists, his food forgotten. He _must_ care if he puts food to a second place for me.

"Besides Kurama, you got three things going for you that Mukuro ain't; Looks, chemistry, and a dick."

The coffee in my mouth cuts into my lungs as I sputter, and I quickly bring my hand to my mouth to cover a hacking cough, my face brighter than ever. Did Yusuke just say…?

"If I may, Yusuke," I begin, dabbing my lips with a napkin "what makes you so certain of his sexuality that you felt the need to throw _that_ into your equation?"

Yusuke smiled.

"When he takes his cloak of, he always made sure you had a good view." My face matches my hair, at this point, and with a groan a hide my blushing continence behind an outstretched palm. Only Yusuke.

"It's like he's stripping for you."

"_Yusuke_," I pled, my eyes peeking out between split fingers beseechingly "this is _not_ helping…You knew he had not left makai?" I ask, my hand falling from my face at the thought, Yusuke's whole biases for an argument replaying in my mind.

_Hiei seemed pretty damn confused as to how that was possible, since he hasn't set a foot out of makai in over a year._

"Well I couldn't wait around and hope for him to drop by; the wedding would be over by then."

"The…wedding…?" I question, my voice giving a twitch.

"Uh-huh. Hiei's groom number three, which reminds me…" the leer in his eyes makes me fidgeted, and with the words proceeding, I understand why.

"As your first assignment, you are to deliver his tux to him, in makai."


	3. A Journey in Makai

_Authors Note_: -pokes- I see you. Yes, _you_, I see you reading, but not _reviewing_. The hit counter keeps track of you. So, do me a favor? At the end of the chapter, hit the little button that says 'review' eh? It won't take that mush time at all, I promise, and if just **five** people are kind enough to **review** the story for me, I'll **update** with the next chapter. Yea, that's right, I'm bribing you. But don't think of it like that, think of it as…let's say, incentive. And if that's not enough, why, just look at the wonderful virtual _prizes_ that are in store!

**BlueUtopiah**: As a thank you for your review, I give you _limited edition blue-haired Mukuro plushie_, because, your hair is blue ;

For **ladyasile**: I think this _mischievous Yusuke T-shirt _for the little bunny on your profile will work. What would we do without the detective to shove Kurama thru the gate to makai? A very boring story, I think xD

**Midnight Soliloquy**: Since there are two of you using the same account, you get a _Split-persona Kurama plushie_, part Shuichi, part Youko!

**ShinigamixGirl**: Hmmm, well, how about this plushie of _Hisoka/Tsuzuki cuddling while reading fanfiction_? I could't think of anything else xD

**DemonUntilDeath**: Your one of the review's I didn't see till posting this ; So I went and added on before submitting, because your review rocked. This _Chibi Youko and Hiei oil painting _for you as virtual gratitude! About the Beta testing, I'm serisouly going to look into that. I sit here and edit the stories, but I always seem to miss something…

**Oreoxlove4ever**: A _Kurama eating oreo plushie_ for you. Thank you for the review!

Last, but in no way least is this _Hiei detail toy with real strip-tease action!_ for **Kyohana**.

Thank you all for reviewing, it means more than words can convey. I had a random burst of writers block, with this chapter, so please forgive me for it's short and blah-ish contents.

**Chapter two**:

**A Journey in Makai **

The forests of makai are what myths are made of. It is these lands that once stumbled upon, by men lucky enough to find their escape, was written down as the heavenly realm. What the Greeks called Elysium and the Egyptians Aaru, are the retelling of what their original authors scribed. A valley of foliage is at my every side, in pastel shades of violet, green, amber and yellow-tinged white. The soil is scarce from sight, the plant life gorging themselves on its nutrition and growing in elegant, interwoven patterns below my feet.

Deadly beauty is what surrounds me, deceptively delicate, each holding a sting worth ten times the venom of their splendor. I know, for it was I who planted most of them, and cultivated the rest. I frequented this part of makai, in what seems a lifetime past, when ningenkai itself was not so different from makai in its bloodlust, and demons of all rank frequented mortal ground. Nothing ever remains unchanged, however, and though it was I who sculpted the landscape, her bounty is no longer mine to keep. This forest belongs to Mukuro, for it is along the center of her territory. I feel as though she has stolen from me, a stroke of irony, for these forests are quite possible the only thing I, as Youko, ever gained without thievery.

My youki is detectible. I _want_ to be found, preferably before I am forced to seek out Hiei within Mukuro's castle. At the passing of another mile, I bring my youki to spike, hoping to draw him out like moth to flame. It has been two days since I started my venture here on makai soil, lugging a tote bag over my shoulder, loaded with the various instruments of torture needed for a proper fitting. Yusuke, in all his crafty manipulation, had jumped the gun a bit, forsaking the fitting which was necessary to buy Hiei's tuxedo. Another reason for my hesitance to confront him in Mukuro's sites; forcing Hiei to comply with a tape measure and probing hands will be enough of a challenge without _her_ breathing down my neck.

A rouge gust rocks against me, tousling my hair in ribbons of ruby, but with the setting sun its color darkens, and I drop my tote to make camp for the third night. Rays of orange have trickled away into moon kissed blue. Above, the sky has become a snow globe, cased with ebony which fades into lighter hues of night the further in my eyes travel, where at its center lie the light of traveling souls.

Despite the cool of the wind around me, I feel warmth here, the tingle of sunlight which is _his_ youki. For the past few miles, I have felt eyes upon me, it is only now however that I feel his presence, and it is now that I show my awareness to the eyes which have watched my every move. My head lifts, and I scan the surrounding shrubs. Leafs above rustle before I pinpoint his location, I can't help but to think he is giving himself away to me. Hiei often 'stalked' me by use of the trees while in ningenkai. Some things it seems have yet to change.

"I was starting to believe you were ignoring me," a smile comes easy to me this time, for no matter the spite in me, I am happy to see him "Hiei." In the canopy above the leaves rustle, and with movement to fast for my human eyes to see, he descends to my side. Black hair, a cherub face that contrasts his persona so, a toned body well covered by cloak and scarf. It is eyes though, that I see first, blood red garnet with an ever burning flame.

"Time among humans has not dulled your senses, I see."

"No…" I agree, my tone questioning "but it is hardly a challenge to notice when someone is rustling about in the trees." His eyes narrow, just slightly, an expression some might take for anger, yet I know it to be confusion. "I did not 'rustle'. I do not give myself away when in hiding, nor do I _flaunt _my youki."

A laugh tickles my throat, my hand rising to my lips to stifle its sound. Hiei tenses, an agitated scowl crossing his child-like face, and inclines his head towards me in a challenging manner. "I fail to see the humor of your carless return. You may have very well announced to a third of makai your arrival."

"You are worried about me?" I murmur, my had lowered, eyes once more entranced by the narrowed orbs of my counterpart. Every moment I watch him, my spirits rise. It is both pleasant and agitating, for though I am at a content to see Hiei after so long, bitterness still harbors a portion of my soul. "I was trying to get your attention Hiei. Alerting you with my youki was the simplest way; if other demons seek me out in malevolence that is _my_ cross to bear."

He rebukes my statement with a standard "Hn" and turns his head away, those fiery eyes now gazing blankly into the distance. "Your gift was well-received, I take it?" In a flash, his eyes are upon me, his silence an inquiry all its own. Unzipping the tote, I stand, fishing a notepad and tape measure from its innards and address Hiei again "The flower of regeneration which I gave you. I regarded your absence from ningenkai as a sign of acceptance, on her part. Am I wrong?"

My gut wrenches as he watches me, his gaze scrutinizing, arms tight to each side. An 'itch' foams up inside my mind for an instant, but it vanishes before I can regard it as a threat. Still, the thought occurs to me that Hiei might have attempted to read my mind…

"Mukuro promoted my post. I am to take charge of this jurisdiction, as her heir." My smile softens, even as Hiei tilts his head in inquiry of the belongings in my hands. I fall into my own thoughts as his words are recited internally, and fail to notice that my grip on the paper is tightening. So, Hiei was in training, all this time. With Enki as enthroned emperor, the remaining two 'Kings' have been appointed a share of makai to rein over as his subordinates; the era of peace demons have entered is a fragile one, and though it appears that the main powerhouses of makai are in agreement with the changes taking place, even Enki must now of the preparations taking place for ascension to the throne once he passes. Hiei, in a strange way, has become in a sense, demonic royalty.

"_Fox_."

The force of his tone startles me to reality, and blinking I meet his gaze, once more skeptical and scrutinizing, as if beholding a _very_ elaborate lock to which he has no key. "I asked what is in your hands." Not quite fluid with my thoughts and actions, it takes me a moment to respond. I pull my hands up, look at the instruments and smile, tired though it is. I had all but forgotten the fitting.

"These," I begin, holding out the tape measure for him to see "are what I need to take your measurements." After examining the dangling yellow plastic, he again turns to me, an eyebrow razed in confusion. He looks positively naïve, standing as he does, with his wide inquisitive eyes. The nature of my perverted tendencies of past plants the fleeting thought of measure _something_ a little more southward on the korime, and I blush because of it. Kitsune are very well renowned to be sexual creatures; and with being reborn as a human, this body is quick to betray me in fits of hormonal peak. I have _not_ enjoyed going through the lusts of adolescence a second time.

"Measurements?" Hiei questions and I nod, wrapping the tape measure round my wrist and kneeling down to fish out a pen from the bag. "Yusuke told you he wanted you in the wedding, did he not? Well, in human weddings, it is custom to wear a special garment that is called a tuxedo for the ceremony. I need to measure you, so we know what size to buy, understand?"

Again he nods, but still seems standoffish. He no doubt has a foreboding feeling, and when I next speak, that feeling rushes to his face in anguish.

"Good. Now, _strip_."


	4. Synchronicity

_Authors Note:_ First and foremost, everyone give a HUGE thanks to my new beta reader (and personal friend) Maccabre! She beta red this story for me last night so you could read it today! Secondly, I want to give a huge thank you to my reviews and an even huger apology for being latter with this update than I EVER intended. Life get's crazy when you least expect it, it seems, and it took me a while to find the time to complete this chapter. Hopefully, though, the stripping you all seemed to want to badly will be a decent apology? One last thing I want to mention is a little sentence near the end of the chapter. It may not make a great deal of sense as to why A) it's disturbing Kurama so much and B) why it's there in the first place, but it _will_ make a good deal of sense in the future of this story. Chapter four is nearly complete, and with any luck I will have it posted tonight or tomorrow morning-I'm aiming for tonight, since I want to give you guys a double update if at all possible.

**Chapter three**:  
**Synchronicity**

"Good. Now, _strip_."  
While Hiei's lips have sunken in a scowl, I am unable to wipe the smile off my face. I am both surprised and delighted at how swiftly he complies, however begrudgingly, and in the back of my mind I wonder if perhaps Yusuke was onto something after all. "This is ridiculous…" I shrug my shoulders, seemingly impassive, save for the coy smile which simply refuses to leave my lips "It is a necessity."

With an indignant 'Hn', his scarf falls, and my lips twitch upwards another third of an inch. He tugs at his cloak, pulling it off at a noticeably slower pace than the normal single-movement unveils. Ether he is taunting me, or embarrassed and prolonging the inevitable…

"The pant's too." I quip, Hiei having paused after disposing of his shirt, earning myself a glare from his blood colored eyes. I notice more than ever how many belts adorn his waste. With each one he removes, the next seems to go that much slower. Now I know he's taunting me. It will be a cold day in hell before Hiei admits to it but the evidence is literally staring me in the face, and seconds later the final belt is removed and leather drops, evidence no longer the only thing in un-obscured view. So, the old adage is true after all; big things do come in small, or should I say_ short_, packages.

"I fail to see the point of this human tradition." My eyes focus in on Hiei's face as he speaks and I move quickly, very well aware of the position we are in. I am not about to stand there and _gawk_ and frighten Hiei away. Besides, measuring someone requires _touching_ them. Standing behind him, I smooth my hand over the small of his back. He bristles at the touch and looks at me from over his shoulder, his eyes clear and unquestioning, though it is a question that he states "What are you doing?"

"I told you," I murmur smoothly, drawing my hand back across the imaginary line on his back before wrapping the tape measure around his chest "I need to measure you for a tuxedo. The tape measure is cold; I don't want to give you a shock." It's a flawed lie and I know this, but I have not the self control to care. I jot down the size quickly, and once done, smooth my hand out from his shoulder blade to forearm, lifting his arm gently as I repeat the process over again. He is still tense, and by the time I move onto his right arm, his eyes are away from me to the horizon.

"_Foolish_…" I hear him grumble, and my eyes tear away from the slope of his hips to the back of his head "Excuse me?"  
"The detective, this 'tuxedo', the human custom of matrimony. They should mate and be done with it." I stare at him, surprised not by his frank remarks, but his initiation of a conversation. After being apart for over a year, I had expected our meeting to be tense, or at the very least, rigidly awkward. Instead, it feels as if everything was falling into place. "For humans, a wedding is equivalent to the mating bond. It is how they proclaim their unity to each other, and the friends and family around them."

"That is idiotic." Hiei retorts with a huff "The bond is meant to be shared between mates, not to be flaunted as a spectacle." I pause in my work considering his words, my hand resting just above his left hip. This is a surprisingly intimate subject for Hiei to discuss so openly. "It is tradition, as normal to them as the concept of mating is to you and I. If you were to explain that process to any human, they would most likely think it barbaric." I feel his eyes shift to me while I speak, and draw my hands back to scribble something on my notepad because of it, returning my hands only when I am sure I can focus again.

"The wedding is symbolic, an announcement that two souls have started a new life together. Rings are exchanged, as an outward mark of this bond. Anything more intimate is reserved for the bride and groom when they are alone, on the wedding night."

"You're even more sentimental than when I left you last, Kurama. Like a love sick-" My smile falters, for a fraction of a moment, and tightening the tape measure around his waist with a jarring pull, I draw out a grunt from Hiei's lips, cutting him off. A half hearted apology leaves me as I take down his numbers, ignoring his scowl, and lower myself to a crouch to measure the width of his thighs. I move just as slowly as Hiei had, the difference being there is much more to measure than there was to discard.

"Yusuke told you with whom you are to walk down the aisle with, I trust?" Hiei glances at me, an eye brow raised, and I sigh. Of course not, you had to make this even harder on me, didn't you Yusuke? "It is customary for the bride and groom to have friends as participants in the ceremony. At the weddings start, we are to walk the bridesmaids down the aisle…Yukina will be walking down with you."  
After countless debates, it had just panned out that way. Botan and I, Yukina and Hiei, and Shizuru with Kuwabara; we all wondered how Hiei would react, but agreed that it could not be worse than allowing Kuwabara to walk the ice maiden down himself. "Yukina is involved in this?" He said it almost bitterly, as if it were some deplorable crime, something unworthy of his sister to touch. "She was delighted, when Keiko asked her. It is something normally bestowed upon only the dearest of friends." In the back of my mind I doubt whether or not Hiei truly understands what is to take place that day, if he has some sort of mass bonding orgy pictured in his head. Inwardly, I groan. This is not the sort of thing I need crawling around my mind while I am crouched inches away from Hiei's _crotch_.

"I am sure she will be happy to see you Hiei." I assure, sliding my hand up his left thigh, daringly high, secretly enjoying the feel of his flesh under my finger tips "She misses you." _I_ miss you…  
Hiei seems indignant now, I must have overstepped my bounds, and before I can move on to what is mournfully the last measurement, he snaps "Are you finished _yet_?" Knowing my luck has run out, I quickly take the last numbers and jot them down as I nod, rising to my feet.

Hiei, grumbling something under his breath turns and quickly begins to dress, denying me any further gawking. Inwardly, I sigh, mourning the loss of the beauty before me. That may very well be as far with Hiei as I ever go. Stashing my notepad into the tote, I slither my hand around for a while, looking busy and giving Hiei plenty of time to dress while my eyes are occupied. "In a few days, I will have your tuxedo ready." Hopeful, I raise my eyes to see Hiei, once again in full garb, standing before me with his arms crossed over his chest and head tilted to the side. His eyes are no longer clear, but clouded with thought, looking not at but _through _me. Have I upset him so by just a simple statement regarding his sister?

"The wedding is in January, so rehearsal will be sometime in early December, I believe. If you could, would you drop by my place before then? To try on your suite, make sure it fits." I smile slightly, hopefully, and watch as red eyes focus on me and on the thoughts invisible to sight. Hiei regards me in silence, and I simply wait for his reply, the wind lapping once more at my hair. "If I find the time for it…" Vague though it is, my heart lightens and smile brightens at Hiei's reply, and zipping the bag in my hand, I sling it over my shoulder, extracting my notepad one last time and ripping a piece of paper it from its bind "Here."

His noise scrunches as he takes the note from me, and I watch as his stare intensifies and brows knot in attempt to decipher its meaning. I bring a coiled hand to my mouth in attempt to stifle turning laughter, but a breeze of the sound escapes me before I manage, and Hiei's eyes dart to me in a death glare "It is the address of my apartment." He seems insulted by this, but says nothing and stashes the paper under his cloak, body posed for departure even as he speaks "You left that human of yours alone? Remind me to check later and see if Hell has indeed frozen over."

My brows arch in surprise at his statement, my face void of emotion as I study him. Was that Hiei's attempt at humor? "I'm in the process of moving, actually, but by the time you visit that will be my address. It's rented out in my name, I need only move the rest of my stuff in…" I cannot very well stay at mother's house forever, and even if she frets over the move now, I know at some point she will be pleased with it, this way. Besides, my complex is near enough for visits, and I have already promised to come to dinner at least once during the week "She has her husband and step-son to keep her company."

_Who do you have then, Kurama?  
_  
My head jerks at the comment, a whisper of the mind, but Hiei remains passive-his expression only changing once my gaze remains in length "What?" My mouth parts, but I am unsure what, how to answer. That statement was spoken in thought, fed into my mind by the same Jagan concealed by cloth…or else, an illusion of mine alone "_Fox_."  
"…Sorry, I was…my mind was elsewhere." Hiei's eyes narrow, but I make for retreat before either of us can say anything more. Hiei won't come after me, and for once, that fact grants me comfort. It is disturbing to think I could conjure such realistic words in my own mind-and for the first time in recent history-I _want_ to be alone.


	5. Blackout

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_Author's Note: I know it's a loooooooong time past when I meant to update, everyone. I'm really REALLY, __**REALLY**__ sorry. It's been utter Chaos in the home life, real life, whatever you want to call it. Just life. I've had the first half of this chapter done for a long while now and it's finally finished in whole. To be honest, what free time I have had has been largely writers blocked' regarding the continuation of this chapter, and seeing how it's all turned out now I'm happy I waited instead of rushing it out. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, who added me to their favorite author list and added PC to their favorite stories' list – I hope you're all still reading and that this installment won't disappoint! This chapter is not yet beta read – but I wanted to get SOMETHING posted. It will under go clean up in the near future, sorry about that. _

_The real plot start's to immerge with this chapter. There are very subtle hints as to what is going on, but if I pointed them out it would ruin the fun. I'll start work on the next chapter ASAP, but before that I need to finish and post a late X-Mas present for my beta and Penguin, Ms. Megan. Review's are always, greatly appreciated as they let me know your not only still there, but interested in the story's progression. Thank you all once again and I'm so SO sorry tardiness of this chapter. _

_Oh, and on a small side note, __**Blackout**__ is a song by Muse that fits oh so well with this chappy, and it also sort of fit as a title – or so I felt. Oh, and I have a last mintue plea for help from you all. See Chapter Five: Blackout is like, waaaay spaced out? How do I fix that? I've re-uploaded loads of times and none of it seems to make a diffrance. It loosk ust like I want to on Words but once I get it on here...Editing the document wont do any good either, since it wont let me make it right under the title, like I had it one the chapter before this one -sulk- Well, at any rate,_

_Happy New Year!_

_: )_

_Chapter Five:_

**Blackout**

Rain is falling in rhythmic teardrops from a dust colored sky. If you listen carefully, you can hear their melody, like a cadence of piano keys with the wind serving as conductor. The drops which roll off the rooftop are the cello, those beads dripping from the end of rose petals, a music box chime. The leaves sing a chorus with each kiss of the ground, spreading ripples to echo a melancholy libretto.

Our roof stretches over the patio, keeping me dry. My skin in numb; I have been standing here so long that I feel the chill in my bones. By all logic, I would retreat into the house, where the fire is sending a glow thru the sliding glass door, but my legs are locked and feet frozen in place. It is colder inside that house than even Cocytus could ever be.

I reach a hand up, tucking my hair behind my right ear, but the wind protests and scarlet strands are once more set into sway. Compliant, I cross my arms over my chest, hands lightly touching my shoulder blades. It does nothing to block out the dampness in the air, but I know not what else to do. Any position my body takes seems uncomfortable and awkward.

The incense is still smoldering in my lungs, a scent which though sweet, brings a bitter bite to my stomach. The house has been packet full since late this afternoon, by your office friends, your co-workers, even the old woman at the market whom you bought from every Thursday. They loved you, and now mourn your passing to the tune the elements play.

All for you, mother.

The crash made evening news; mother of two killed in bank robber's escape. Ironic, that my past profession is what has torn us apart. It's a slap across the face form lady fate herself, vindictive bitch that she is. Your neck snapped from the impact, you were killed instantly. I should be grateful, I suppose, for there are ways far more debase to die. I should take comfort in knowing there was no pain.

I was at my apartment, when Botan arrived, unpacking some of the belongings brought from my room. She had already ferried your soul to reikai, appearing to me in the spirit form, boat ore, pastel kimono and all. There was nothing she could do. You cheated death once, by the grace of the Ankoku Kyou, and it is a rare thing indeed to dodge its grip twice.

For the last week days I have made preparations for your funeral. I will finish moving into my apartment tomorrow, without you here, this place is no longer home and I feel a great unease here when I stay. Yusuke has dropped by, more than once. Kuwabara, too, has come to give his condolences; it is only Hiei whose absence comes to mind. I left my window open last night, but like today, only this song of melancholy was there to keep me company. After a week's passing, I know the news has reached him. Yusuke sent word the same night I gave ID to the body. Hiei can no longer hide behind ignorance and I fail to think of a good reason for him not to show his face.

Strange how those times I felt able to bare the toil alone, Hiei was forever at my side. Watching over me when in the midst of battle, there when I did not ask it and a ghost when I cry for help. Hmm, but this is a different sort of support I need, and Hiei has never been comfortable in situations that cannot be mended by way of sword.

_He not even managed it for Mukuro _

Sucking in a breath, I bite my lip, expecting a sensation but finding my nerves numb to pain. I imagine skin once pink to have taken a blue hue, and absently consider a glance to my fingers to confirm the fact. The inner light of the house shifts in shadow's on my skin, making the blue look purple. The shadow's dance in retrace of their steps and the brief chatter still's, replaced by footsteps that are slow, but steady.

"…Kurama?" Yusuke's voice is so soft, I nearly pass it off as a stranger. The light has cast a glow that just touches soaked grass, exposing our shadow's to the earth. "Hey, buddy…why don't you come inside? You gotta be freezing your ass off out here." Footsteps are drawing closer and I wonder, just how long ago is it that Yusuke spoke, how long is it that he waited for a reply. Time seems to have truly escaped me, and I currently find it impossible to see the world in divisions of hours, minutes. There is only the then, which I am mourning, and the now within which I am entrapped.

"Standing out here, won't make him magically appear." There is a hand at my shoulder, I notice, at some point during its stay. I close my eyes at Yusuke's words, give a solemn smile and shake of the head "I am not waiting for him, Yusuke." The words trickle through my head, and I begin to doubt myself, arms falling with a sluggish shrug "Or, maybe at some point, I was, or will be…" I don't know what I'm doing here, anymore. The world in which I have grown comfortable in residing has been irreversibly altered, and nothing looks, tastes, or feels like it should.

I always knew the day would come when I would walk this world without you, but never did I think yours was a story to be cut sort such as this. I only ever pictured it in the happiest scenario, where death is more like slumber and you are old, warm and fulfilled. You would have lived to see your step-son graduate, see him marry, to have your house filled with grandchildren "I feel as though she has been stolen from me, Yusuke."

Just like Kuronue.

My throat tightens as images of blood and bamboo flood into mind, some pathetic sound pushed out my lips before I can even think to stop it, body shaken by a soundless sob. I move into myself on autopilot, head bowing and hand moving to clasp over trembling lips. Yusuke embraces me, supports me before I can give thought to desiring the affection or not. In the end I am grateful to have something tangible here, to help my mind from fading too far into the past.

I am no virgin to death, I have seen a creature brought to end in more demented ways than even the most horror happy mind can invent, the bulk of which were cut down by my own hand. To lose someone close to me…to have a death impact me…I have stood in this place just _once_ before and once more I _cannot_ find the exit. Again I am staring down at the one lock that cannot be broken, barred into the cage to which there, really, is no true escape. "There was nothing you could do."

"I know…"

There is a measure of uselessness in knowing this, a different sort of pain from which I felt with Kuronue. For with him, I made the choice to flee, to obey his voice and leave him to death. I had the power to do _something_ then, but now I stare death down at another angle. You were taken from me mother, not before my eyes but behind my back, and I had not even a chance to take you back. Neither scenario leave's you room to breathe.

"There is nothing you can do either, Yusuke."

Yusuke's hand squeezes at my shoulder. I lift my eyes resolutely and meet his own and subtly shake my head, stopping the unspoken before it has breached the lips that had split to speak. "There is nothing anyone can do. I hope this is something you will never understand." With a small push against his chest I back away, making for the umbrella propped at the side of sliding glass doors, catching site of myself in its shadowed reflection. Inari, I am a site.

"Do you want some company tonight? Keiko wouldn't mind." Again I shake my head, as a rush of air from the unfolding umbrella sores between us, solitude the most comforting place in my mind. "I really am grateful, Yusuke…" I doubt whether I would have managed to stand upright without him here as a girder "but I've been surrounded by people all day. I need some time alone now…" I shuffle my feet and get some of the feeling back, manage to wrap still numb fingers around the umbrella's handle and step out of the shelter of roofing, pitter-patter of rain loader than ever now that it's echoing on the halo of cloth around my head.

"Tomorrow for lunch then!"

I turn half way, enough for one eye to be seen and to see, Yusuke's face possessing that startling level of sympathy and concern that I think he knows not himself capable. I'm not answering quick enough it seems, for he adds "Keiko will make it, so you don't have to worry about food poisoning, princess." and he smiles. It's contagious, for I myself can feel a slight lightness on my face as I return the gesture.

"Tomorrow for lunch, then."

I first into my pocket and palm keys that strike even this bitten skin to be cold, single out the needed key from the batch and give a last parting glance to Yusuke, whose footsteps I hear soon after I've turned my back to the_ house_ that can no longer be _home_. It's a frosted sort of fog that covers the streets on the drive to my apartment, a comfortable dwelling afforded me due to the sizeable income my step-father's employ has brought. It is nothing brazenly rich, but I am well off under this income, and the apartment reflects as much. For it is spacious and open, each room separate and not doubled together.

The wind and rain are in such a state by my arrival that even with the shield of an umbrella I manage to get wet. No lightning lights up the sky during the downpour, nor is the moon peeking out from under ebony-grey clouds to guide the way. I shake what moister from off the umbrella's skin that I can before leaning open the apartments door, slipping out of water washed loafers and strip soiled socks from off my feet. The door shuts and I have not a care to flick on the nearest light, nor the one after it, but proceed in darkness to the belly of the living room.

I walk straight into something solid and stumble a few inches across the new wood floors, managing to regain my footing before a full fall is made. There are many boxes lying around still, odds are I'll hit another before making it to the bathroom for a towel. A small glow of yellow light emits from the half open bathroom door, courtesy of the night light mother sneaked into a box of wash cloths and towels. It guides me to a rack of fluffed white that I use to ring out the water sitting in my hair. A bit of frazzled split ends greet me when I pull back the towel, the rest of my mane stringy and tangled in wind-blown wet knots.

It's the glow of the night light that captivates me now. I trail my hands over the detail off it, once white block that has gone slightly yellow with age, carved into a rose that is framed with the shape of an old church window. I was only five when brought it home for me – the 'I' that is human – the child who you thought had nightmares due to the dark. I could never tell you what those nightmares were truly made of…and you consoled me the only way you knew how. With unconditional love.

I press my finger against a small button on the bottom end of the plug and the light goes out, faster than any eye can blink. As fast a life is fragile. The door creaks a little as I make a return trip to the apartment's center, the towel which had rested along my shoulders rolls away as I shrug. I'm undoing the fifth button on the painfully breathable fabric of my top when something crunches and enters the skin of my foot. A second sprinkle of pain shoots up my tendons as I hunch over and dissect this something - which in all likelihood should be – ah, and it is. Glass.

I can see them now sparkling in the moonlight on the floor, as the wind moves blinding clouds away. It is this same wind which hit's my skin directly, through the uneven but massive hole in the window this glass is mate to. I rub the slick shard between my fingers for moment, leisurely discarding it while bringing the same digits to twin at the ends of my hair "A sad end for you who have encroached upon my den, tonight."

I wade across the room and drop my hand, feeling the vine's snake like progression from the seed held between middle and forefinger, twisting and blooming at its end. I stalk the box on which I had first tripped, which is not a box at all. My eyes have adjusted far past the point my human vessel can bare, for now I am Yoko in both voice and eyes, and now I see the arm protruding from a cloak covered lump meters away from the window. It lay twisted palm down above a nearly covered heard, pale but strong, elbow resting in a puddle of blood.

I wonder what motivated him to break into this particular home tonight and for the first time I wonder, what motivated that faceless murderer to take your life, mother. It's by the throat that I grab him, through the fabric of molding cloak. It slips a little as I gain leverage but I have little interest in identifying the face. For at this moment, the idea of indulging vengeful thrust drives me, and I will this body to be he who took _your _life. I fist my hand and the foliage sickle round it elongates, cutting a crescent window into the face of the fabric, wide enough that a single _ruby eye_ becomes visible.

"_**Hiei**__!?"_


End file.
